Phish Bassist Mike Gordon at Mr. Smalls; The Roxian Hosts Greensky Bluegrass (Sun., 1/19/20)

1) If you missed Phish at the Pete this December, or just didn’t get enough “Phish Food,” bassist (and banjoist) Mike Gordon headlines Mr. Smalls Theatre. He has recorded five solo albums, most recently 2017’s OGOGO. His studio band will be touring with him. He has also recorded two albums with folk/Americana guitarist Leo Kottke: 2002’s Clone and 2005’s Sixty Six Steps. Phish, meanwhile, formed at the University of Vermont in 1983. Thanks mostly to word-of-mouth and tape sharing, it garnered a following with domestic album and DVD sales surpassing 8 million. The group went on hiatus in 2000 and in 2009, but the current lineup has been intact for over 30 years. Like Phish, Gordon’s solo output has a jam sound, and his live shows are known for improvisation. His other ventures include filmmaking and writing. 8 p.m. 400 Lincoln Ave., Millvale. (CM)

2) Greensky Bluegrass will perform at the Roxian Theatre in support of this year’s LP All For Money. Ironic because if you’re in a bluegrass band in 2020, chances are you aren’t in it for money. Still, Greensky Bluegrass has done pretty well for itself. Its previous album, 2016’s Shouted, Written Down & Quoted (produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin), peaked at number three on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart. The album before that, 2014’s If Sorrows Swim, went to number one. The band has sold out venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Greensky Bluegrass began as a trio in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2000, and it has since swelled to a quintet. No drummer in this band; instead get ready for banjo, bass, dobro, guitar, and mandolin. Its live shows are also known for fantastic light displays. 8 p.m. 425 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks. (CM)

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